Rosemarie Frankland

Rosemarie Frankland (1943 - 2000) was a beauty pageant contestant who won the 1961 Miss United Kingdom and Miss World. Born in Rhosllannerchrugog, Wrexham, in north-east Wales in 1943, Rosemarie moved to Lancashire, England as a child. She took part in many beauty pageants and won the title of Miss Wales and, later in 1961 in London, England, she became (as Miss United Kingdom) the first British woman and the seventh European (Sweden won the two first contests, France won in 1953, Germany three years later, Finland in 1957 and the Netherlands in 1959) to win the Miss World competition. She also was the 1st runner-up at Miss Universe 1961. Together with Gina Swainson, who won the Miss World title as Miss Bermuda in 1979, Frankland is one of only two ladies to come closest to winning both Miss Universe and Miss World, having been 2nd at Universe before winning World. Helen Morgan who was also Miss Wales and Miss United Kingdom, achieved the same feat, but she resigned the Miss World title four days after being crowned.

After Miss World, she married The Grass Roots singer/guitarist, Warren Entner and went to live in Los Angeles In 1976 they gave birth to their only child together, a daughter, Jessica. They divorced in 1981. Rosemarie died at the age of 57 in December 2000 in Marina del Rey, near Los Angeles. It is still unconfirmed if her death was a suicide or an accidental prescription drug overdose, she suffered depression and panic disorder throughout her life. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/guides/halloffame/showbiz/rosemarie_frankland.shtml] BBC uk/wales/northeast/guides/halloffame] Her ashes were flown back to Wales and were buried at Rhosllannerchrugog Cemetery in February 2001. She is survived by her only daughter, Jessica Entner.

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